Statement of Support for H.R. 485

​People with disabilities, patients and older adults strongly support H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act. This legislation would extend to programs like Medicaid the existing protections in the Medicare program against use of QALYs and similar measures that have been supported by Congressional Democrats in landmark health care bills such as the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s provisions are consistent with the recommendations of the National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency advising Congress on disability policy. It is well documented that use of such measures results in barriers to care that come from assumptions that people with disabilities have a low quality of life and are not worthy of treatment. Therefore, we urge Democrats and Republicans to come together in an act of bipartisanship to pass the bill and to avoid any amendments that would weaken the ACA and IRA protections against the use of QALYs and similar measures.

Signing Organizations

Allergy & Asthma Network
Alliance for Aging Research
Alliance for Patient Access
Allies for Independence
ALS Association
American Association of Kidney Patients
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Association on Health and Disability
American Kidney Fund
ASCP - American Society of Consultant Pharmacists 
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Autism Insurance for Oregon
Autistic People of Color Fund
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Axis Advocacy
Biomarker Collaborative
Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
Brain Injury Association of New York State
Buscher Consulting
Cancer Support Community
CancerCare
Caring Ambassadors Program
CaringKind
CaringKind 
Center for Autism and Related Disorders
Chronic Care Policy Alliance
COPD Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute
Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson's
Dia de la Mujer Latina Inc
DiabetesSisters
Disability Community Resource Center 
Disability Rights California
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Disability Rights Oregon
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
Exon 20 Group
Falling Forward Foundation
Familia Unida Living with MS
Family Heart Foundation
Genetic Alliance 
Global Coalition on Aging Alliance for Health Innovation
GO2 for Lung Cancer
Hannah's Hope Fund for GAN
Health Hats
HealthHIV
Healthy Men Inc.
HealthyWomen
ICAN, International Cancer Advocacy Network
Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center
Justice in Aging
Lakeshore Foundation
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc.
Lupus Foundation of America
MET Crusaders
MLD Foundation
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
National Association of the Deaf
National Caucus and Center on Black Aging
National Consumers League
National Down Syndrome Society
National Fabry Disease Foundation
National Hispanic Council on Aging
National Minority Quality Forum
NHMH - No Health without Mental Health
Northwest Parkinson's Foundation
Not Dead Yet
Organic Acidemia Association 
Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD)
Partnership to Improve Patient Care
Patients Rising 
Patients' Rights Action Fund
PD-L1 Amplifieds
Prevent Blindness
PXE International
RASopathies Network
Rehabilitation & Technology Consultants, LLC
RetireSafe
Second Thoughts Massachusetts: Disability Rights Advocates against Assisted Suicide
Sickle Cell Association of Texas Marc Thomas Foundation
Spastic Paraplegia Foundation
Texas Rare Alliance 
the bonnell foundation: Living with cystic fibrosis
The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation
The Hepatitis C Mentor and Support Group-HCMSG
TSC Alliance
United Cerebral Palsy
United Spinal Association
VHL Alliance
Wilson Disease Association
ZERO Prostate Cancer

For more information, view the letter from the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities, the statement from the National Down Syndrome Society and the summary from the Partnership to Improve Patient Care.